Holland used to have this image of a free country. It used to be a symbol of freedom. Now I’m surprised when I am walking in the streets there I have to look over my shoulders to see if nothing is wrong. I think we are losing our community values. If we could retrieve the same Holland I knew, that would be nice.

What national politician do you want to interview, and why?

The minister of education. I would like to know what his priority is.

If you would be able to export a characteristic of your country, what would it be?

Our hospitality and generosity.

If you would be able to ban a characteristic of your people, what would it be?

What’s it like to be a Metropolis correspondent? From Sana’a to New York and from Beijing to Ouagadougou: in this series of portraits our correspondents tell about the city they live in, they show us around in their home and their workplace. Today, meet Petna in Kinshasa, Congo.His favorite report is the one on obesity in his country.

This week Metropolis takes a closer look into the lives of fifteen-year old boys around the world. What are their dreams, desires, and ambitions? What is important to them? And, are there differences, or are fifteen-year old boys the same all around the world? Read more...

Fifteen year-old boys

April 9, 2008

This week Metropolis takes a closer look into the lives of fifteen-year old boys around the world. What are their dreams, desires, and ambitions? What is important to them? And, are there differences, or are fifteen-year old boys the same all around the world?

Going to school is a luxury that most children in Sierra Leone cannot afford. Therefore, fifteen-year old Stanley from Freetown has to work to make ends meet: he helps people to get in and out of a taxicab. Fifteen-year old Lawrence from Uganda works as well, he makes chapatti in the streets, but he dreams of a career as a professional football player. And Christian from Peru lives in one of the bad neighborhoods, ‘Barrios Altos’ of Lima. He is a big football fan, just like Lawrence from Uganda, and he is a supporter of the local club Alianza Lima.

Álvaro from Madrid is different: he is the son of a builder but dreams of a career as a professional dancer, and he is training hard to reach his goal. Bercan from Turkey is also very ambitious: even though he is only fifteen years old he is politically active. He is a political activist who fights for the Kurds, and he sees himself as a fighter for freedom, equality, and brotherhood. Fifteen-year old Balume from Congo might be young, but he is already one of the most successful music producers in Goma, Congo.